What Happened to the HEARING PROTECTION ACT?… Sadly, Nothing So Far

We have heard very little about the Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 3799) since it was introduced into Congress last October. For those that missed its initial media buzz, what the Hearing Protection Act would effectively do is eliminate the $200 Tax Stamp required for silencers and change the way you purchase them. Instead of going through a trust process or a long NFA background check, silencers would fall under the same category as traditional firearms requiring only a Federal NICS check. This would make silencers a lot more desirable for those who have not bought them yet.

Now fast forward 8 months after Representative Matt Salmon [R-AZ] proposed the bill… where are we now?

Not much movement has occurred with the bill, but it has gained more co-sponsors. This is positive because it speaks volumes about its acceptance by our representatives. It currently has 76 Co-Sponsors (74 Republicans/ 2 Democrats) with 435 total members in the House of Representatives. That translates into just 17.5% of our representatives openly backing the bill so far.

Aside from the increase in Co-Sponsors, no action has been taken on the bill since November 23rd of last year. That is when the Hearing Protection Act was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Sadly, it has sat there ever since.

With the July 13th deadline looming for Obama’s “ NFA Loophole,” it would be a tremendous victory for shooters everywhere if the Hearing Protection Act were to pass. It is highly unlikely though to gain enough traction where it would pass in the next 3 weeks. As we come closer to our election this fall and see more of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on TV, the idea of firearms and silencers should creep closer to the front of people’s minds. This will hopefully motivate our representatives to act on HR 3799 as opposed to letting it sit dormant.

If you would like to read the bill in its entirety, CLICK HERE.

To see the Co-Sponsors of the Hearing Protection Act, CLICK HERE.